Freight-car ladder.



W. A; MITCHELL.

FREIGHT GAR LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22, 1912.

Patented May 6, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ATTORNEYS W. A. MITCHELL.

FREIGHT OAR LADDER. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2 2, 1912.

1,061,100. Patented May 6,1913.

- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 9 4 /d :1 /y- J o l- LIIIIIIIII luff gs: W lllllllfllll g P x 1 9x WITNESSES I [MENTOR M W 4 ATTORNEYS UNIT ATES PATENT O IGE.

WILLIAM A. MITCHELL, OF SEDALIA, MISSOURI.

FREIGHT-GAR LADDER.

Application filed August 22, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,W1LL1AM A. MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Sedalia, in the county of Pettis and State of Missouri, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Freight-Car Ladders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in side and end ladders for freight cars and 7 it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide ladders for the sides and ends of freight cars, which are in conformity with the United States safety appliance law, and which possess features that render these ladders safer than the ordinary ladder.

A further object of my invention is to provide side and end ladders, each having roof grab irons firmly secured in position without the necessity ofthe use of screws, bolts, or other fastenings inthe roof itself.

A further object of my invention is to provide ladders which may apply to the sides and ends of cars now in use, without any preliminary work on the cars to prepare them for the ladders.

- A further object of my invention is to provide ladders to which latitudinals, or brakemans platform, as they are sometimes called, extending from the longitudinal running board to the ladder locations, on cars having outside metal roofs, may be firmly and securely attached, without any bolts, screws or other means being used to secure such latitudinals or platforms to cars, thereby avoiding injury to the roof metal.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of the application, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a car equipped with my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of a car with the ladder applied thereto; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a modified form; Fig. 4 is a face view of the side ladder; and Fig. 5 is a face View of the end ladder.

In accordance with United States safety appliance law, four ladders must be placed on each box or other house car, Whereas, the

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 6,1913.

Serial No. 716,421.

present practice is to have only two, one on either side or end. It, therefore, becomes necessary to place two additional ladders upon each box or other house car, and hand holds, one on the roof directly over each ladder. On cars without side metal roofs, two latitudinals, or brakemens platforms, as they are sometimes called, extending from the longitudinal running board to ladder locations, are required.

In the application of the ordinary ladder, the individual rungs of which are bolted to the car with two bolts, it is necessary to provide subframing and to do this, it is necessary to tear off a portion of the siding or lining of box cars. This is expensive, but must be done in order to provide good safe fastenings. Moreover, the present method of applying latitudinals, or brakemens platforms, extending from running board to ladder locations, is expensive, as well as unsafe.

In carrying out my invention I provide a side ladder consisting of the stiles, or vertical side members 1 and 2. The lower ends of each of these side members 1 and 2 are bent laterally and are bolted or otherwise secured to the sill of the car, as shown at 1 and 2 respectively. Bolts 1 and 2 secure these stiles to the upper frame member of the car.

The ends of the stiles 1 and 2 are bent at 4: to extend above and over the roof of the car. These extensions I have shown at 1 and 2 respectively in Fig. 2.

Disposed beneath the extensions 1 and 2 is aseries of boards 5 which constitute the brakemans platform, this platform extending from the running board 6 to the side of the car, as shown in Fig. 2. Each of the boards is secured to the members 1 and 2 by means of fastenings 7, but these fastenings 7 do not extend into the roof.

I also provide an end ladder having the vertical stiles or sides 8 and 9 respectively. The lower ends of these stiles may be secured to the frame or to the sill of the car, being bent inwardly as shown at 8 and 9 They are also secured at their upper ends to the frame 3 by bolts S and 9* respectively. The stiles of the end ladder are bent at 4 and have extensions 8 and 9 whichextend above and over the extensions 1" and 2 of the side ladder. These extensions 8 and 9 are secured to both the extensions 1 and P by bolts, or in any other suitable manner.

the roof would leak.

In Fig. 2 I have shown grab irons for the end and side ladders these grab irons con sisting preferably of an Lshaped integral bar or rod 10 which is fastened to the side members 8 and 9 in the manner shown. Both. ladders are provided with rungs 11. In order to space the ladders from the body of the car, and at the same time to afford additional security, I provide furring spools or thiinbles 12, such as those shown in Figs. 4 and 5, bolts 13 being provided, which pass through the stiles and through the spools and the walls or frame of the car.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a modified form of the device. In this form of the device, the stiles 1 and 2 are bent over the roof of the car to form extensions 1 and 2 These extensions, however, terminate at the extension 9 of the end ladder. Instead of employing boards running transversely of the extensions l and 2 of the side ladder, I employ boards 5 extending longitudinally of these extensions 1 and 2 These boards form the brakemans platform and are secured to the tops of the extended portions 8 and 9 of the side ladder by fastenings 7 which do not, however, extend into the roof itself. A grab iron 10 is provided for each ladder.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the description, the use and purpose thereof may be readily understood.

In the old form of ladder where each ladder iron was secured separately, either with bolts or lag screws, to the body of the car, the timbers very frequently became decayed, allowing the bolts or lag screws to pull out and the hand hold to come off, resulting in brakemen falling from the car. This, at the present time, is probably the cause of more accidents to trainmen than any other cause. For many years, it was the practice to provide all cars with outside metal roofs with latitudinal extensions or brakemens platforms from the longitudinal running boards to the ladders. These brakemens platforms were very ditlicult to secure, and when secured through the roof of the cars, hen secured at the upper ends of the running boards and their lower ends to the sides of the car frame, the running boards would come loose, causing the fastenings to break and the extensions or platforms to pull off when the brakeinan would attempt to get on the car. With my invention the chances for accidents of this kind are very remote. The stiles are secured to the substantial parts of the car; 0., to the sills or heavy framing. The bending of the ladder at the top and the fastening of the brakemens platforms to the bent over portion obviates the necessity of making holes in the metal roof, and at the same time forms a secure and firm construction. Furthermore, it will be seen that I have provided a device which may be applied directly to cars already in use without the expense and delay of tearing out a portion of the stiles and ends in order to supply additional framing and solid substantial fastenings for the lad der irons.

It is obvious that other forms and dimensions than those shown in the accompanying specification might be used, but I consider as my own all such modifications as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with a freight car body, of a side ladder and an end ladder therefor,the stiles of said ladders being bent over the roof of the car, means for securing the bent over portions of the side ladder to the bent over portions of the end ladder, and a brakemans platform secured to the bent over portions of certain of said stiles.

2. The combination with a freight car body, of a side ladder and an end ladder therefor, the stiles of said ladders being bent over the roof of the car, means for securin the bent over portions of the side ladder to the bent over portions of the end ladder, and a brakemans platform extending above the roof of the car, one end of said brakemans platform being contiguous to the running board of the car, and the other end being secured to the bent over portions of the stiles of one of said ladders.

3. The combination with a freight car body, of a side ladder and an end ladder therefor, the stiles of said ladders being bent over the roof of the car, means for securing the bent over portions of the side ladder to the bent over portions of the end ladder, a brakemans platform extending above the roof of the car, one end of said brakemans platform being contiguous to the running board of the car, and the other end being secured to the bent over portions of the stiles of one of said ladders, and roof grab irons for each of said ladders, said roof grab irons being secured to certain of said stiles.

4E. The combination with a freight car body, of a side ladder and an end ladder therefor, the stiles of said ladders being bent over the roof of the car, means for securing the bent over portions of the side ladder to the bent over portions of the end ladder, a brakemans platform extending above the roof of the car, one end of said brakemans platfornr being contiguous to the running board of the car, and the other end being secured to the bent over portions of the stiles of one of said ladders, and grab irons for both ladders, the grab iron of one ladder being secured to the stiles of the other ladder.

5. The combination with a freight car body having a running board, of an end ladder and a side ladder secured to said car body, the stiles of each of said ladders being bent over the roof of the car, means for securing the bent over portion of the stiles of one ladder to the bent over portion of the stiles of the other, a brakemans platform disposed above the roof of the car, said platform comprising boards disposed beneath the bent over portion of the stiles of said side ladder, and means for securing the platform to said bent over portions.

6. The combination With a freight car WILLIAM A. MITCHELL. Witnesses:

IRA N. SPREOKER, F. E. DURHAM.

stiles.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. C. 

